Disinfector and deodorizer.



E. CAPEK.

,DLSINFECTOR AND DEODORIZER,

APPLICATON FKLD NIK-16,1917.

Patented Oct. 9, v1917.

ERNEST J'. APEK, OF SCEUYLER, NEBRASKA.

DISINFECTOR AND DEODORIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Application filed February 16, 1917. Serial N o; 149,052.

To all whom t mag/,concern Be it known that Doctor ERNEST J. A- rnK, a physician and surgeon, who has made .application to become a citizen of the United States, residing at Schuyler, in the county of Colfax and State of Nebraska, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in` Disinfectors and l'leodorizers, of which the following is a specification, reference being ing and disinfectingapparatushaving few parts and which is very cheaply made and which requires very simple. manipulation and which would yet be thoroughly eiiicient in action.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the clothes pr other articles intended to be disinfected` may be supported within the disinfecting chamber, out of contact with formaldehyde or other solutions operating therein.

Still, another object is to provide means whereby after the clothes or other articles have been disinfected for a certain length of time by the means of one solution, additional chemicals may be addedl in order to deodorize .the clothes and this Without the necessity of removing the clothes from the.

disinfector or removing the disinfecting material itself.

Gther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

' My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figurel is a vertical sectional View of a disinfector constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1 looking toward the lid;

lFig. 3 is a top plan view of the drum, the chimney 20 and the tube 21 being in section; and

Fig. i is an elevation of the pouring tube.

Referring to thesegures, 10 designates the body of the disinfecting apparatus or container. This is made preferably of galvanized iron or like material and in ordinary practice will be about 18 inches in diameter and 26 inches in height. Preferably there is disposed in this bottom container l0, a false bottom l1 of wood or other non-heat con ducting material which isto' be readily removable from the container. The bottom of the container is provided with strips 12 of metal, disposed in cruciform relation and extending out beyond the sides of the container and these extensions of these strips are connected 'to the side wall of the container by means of angle irons 13 or in 4any other suitable manner to make them suiliciently rigid.. These projecting ends of the strips l12 and the angle irons 13 form foot pieces, as will hereafter more fully appear.

For the purpose of closing in the top of the container I provide a lid 14, which is likewise preferably made of galvanized iron and provided with handles 15, this lid having an exterior downwardly extending fiange l6,-about four inches in de th and an interior downwardly extending ange 17 of the same depth. lThese flanges 16 and 17 are formed in concentric relation and so close together as to tightly engage the side wall of the container 10, when the lid is in place. The space between the flanges 16 and 17 is about four inches in depth and this space isV about half filled with asbestos, or other packing, designated at 1S. lt will thus be seen that as the lid is forced down upon the container, a gas tight joint is lf (rmed between the upper container and the Adapted to be used in connection with the container 10 is a drum 19, open at its bottom, and having a side wall and a top wall. The side wall and the to'pwall are perforated. The drum is formed with a central -opening in its top and from this central opening extends upward a column or chim, ney 20, which is likewise perforated. This column or chimney is preferably about four inches in diameter and is perforated. The

combined height of the drum 19 and the column 20 is slightly less than the height of the container 10 with the lid in place, so that when the lid is closed the upper end of the chimney 20 is spaced a short distance from the lid. Adapted to be disposed within the chimney 20 is*A funnel tube 21 of about the same length` as the Achimney and formed at its upper end with the funnel 29., which is-adapted to resty upon the upper end of thne. chimney.

"Used in connection with thedisinfecting apparatus above described 'and forming part thereof is a pan 23, which in use rests upon the non-heat conducting bottom 11 and disposed in this pan is a heating means, such' for instance, as an 4ordinary tea kettle 24 havinga lid In theactual use of the invention thetea kettle, or container 24, wherein water 1s vigorously boiling, is disposed within the pan 23, the spout of the tea kettle 4having been pi'eviously'closed by a Wad of cotton. The drum 19 islthen immediately placed over the tea kettle and the pan 23 and then the clothes to be disinfected. are piled 'into the containei' over the drum 19 and around the chimney 20. The clothing is, of course, placed sufficiently loosely so that the generated gas or vapor may have ready access to all parts of the clothing. This procedure is to be executed as quickly as possible so as to prevent a cooling oil' of the water in the tea kettle. ,The formalin solution to any quantity desired, as for instance two ounces, is poui'ed through the funnel 22 and runs downward over the top of the tea kettle into the underlying pan 23. Without any delay the lid is closed as tight as possible and to this end the operator should apply the whole weightof his body on the lid and move around the lid so as to force all parts of the lid securely down into contact with the container. During this operation of closing the lid the operator should hold the container from movement by treading on the outwardly projecting portions of the angle irons 13, thus holding' the container rigid. The formaldehyde generated bythe heat actingr on the formalin solution is enabled to reach the clothes containing space through the perforations of the drum and chimney. After twelve or twenty-four hours or any other suitable length of time, the lid is removed and strongr ammonia water to the amount of four ounces or so is poured through the funnel 22 over the top of the tea kettle and drains down into the pan This is done without removing the fuinigated articles and the lid is closed for one "[uartei' of an hour oi' so, Whereas the disinfection and deodorization is completed, they emitted fumes evaporatiiig from the clothing with great rapidity. The liquid in the. pan now consists of hexaniethylenteti'ainin in ammonia water and this liquid is poured away and the pan 23 rinsed and replaced in the container ready for the next sterilization.

While I preferably use a pan 23, it is possible to use the tea kectle 2l alone, the kettle being filled with boiling hot water, but having the lid "25 turned upside down so as to forni a receptacle for the formalin solution when it is poured into the tube 21. The solution is thus gathered in the inverted lid and is heated directly from below by the hotl water in the kettle. Of course the use of a pan is preferable, as the formalin y vapors of the formaldehyde to pass through the clothes without the clothes coming into contact with the disinfecting solution and further it will be seen that the funnel 22 permits the introductiony of the formalin and the introduction later of other disinfectinilr materials or deodorizinar materials, without removing the clothes. This device has been constructed with a view to the greatest possible simplicity, both of construction and operation so that it may be used in households and so that its purchase may be made possible to those even of the lowest means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is z'- 1. A disinfector including a container having a' side wall and a bottom wall and open at its top, a 4cover adapted to have hermetically sealed engagement with the top of the container, a drum open at its bottom and having a top, and disposed within the container, the diameter of the drum being nearly that of the container, the drum having an upwardly extending perforated chimney and being itself perforated, a funnel relmovaloly disposed within the chimney and closing the upper end thereof, and a-funnel tube extending from the funnel downward through the chimney and discharging into the upper portion of the drum.

2. A disinfecting apparatus of the character described, comprising a container having a bottom and side wall and open at the top', a lid adapted to have hermetically sealed engagement with the container, an open bottom drum removably disposed within the container and resting on the bottom thereof, the drum being perforated and having a perforated chimney, a solution containing pan disposed beneath the drum and on the bottom of said container, a heating element disposed in said pan beneath the chimney and within the drum, and a funnel tube disposed Within the chimney and discharging against the top of the heating element and havingI a funnel at its upper end resting upon the Walls ofthe chimney and when in place closing the upper end of the chimney.

3 In a cl'isinfector of' the character described, a circular container, a lid for the container, a circular drum having a perforated body an n perforated centrally diposed chimney,the drum havingenopen bottom resting upon the bottom-ofthe container, a. l an disposedon the bottoni of the container.V adapted to Kcontain solution, a hot wager container disposed within the pan and beneath the chimney of the drum, and a Afunnel tube resting at its upper end on the chimney and having its lower'end disposed over the hot water container. 10 In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in the presence of two witnems.

i ERNEST J. CAPEK, M. D..

'Y Witnesses:

, MARIE SLECHTA,

`(Japies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing `the Commissioner of Patents,

.Washingtom D. (2.A 

